Comments for Dan's blog

Comment on Hi, my name is Dan Nicholls. by Toni

Toni — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:20:16 +0000

Hi Dan, I heard about your charity after meeting Ann & Helen when they came to see Austin & Gary on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, where I work. My partner Chris has a C6 SCI which happened after a car accident in Feb 2006, he got taken to Stoke Mandeville so we may have seen you around if you came back at all?! Im so sorry to hear about your bed rest situation I hope you can get up soon and get back to a level of fitness. We are just starting a FES Rowing programme at the London Regatta Centre which is definetly going to work on Chris’ fitness level, let me know if you’ve heard about it or wish to join once you are well enough as they are looking for more people! We are concentrating on getting Chris up to an able bodied fitness level so that when that ‘cure’ happens we are ready for it! (but like you we are trying to not to get our hopes up that it will be anytime soon!) We also go to a great gym with a trainer that works solely with SCI, he is great, Chris has no spasms for hours after! We also go the the laserponcture clinic in France, i don’t know if you have heard about it but we have great feedback from that, the website is http://www.laserponcture.eu! Care situations are terrible we got so fed up of it I now do my partners care, which was less through choice and more from neccessity!! it makes me so mad thinking about carers and district nurses! clearly SCI needs to come a long way in terms of education in the community! Ive rambled long enough (sorry about the spelling!) Please feel free to email me & Chris, I think its important to keep in touch with people with SCI, if it wasn’t for chatting to people we have met we wouldn’t know about treatments and rehab thats out there, plus its a great support emotionally to chat to people in the same boat!

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Rosy Boyce-Derricott

Rosy Boyce-Derricott — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:46:44 +0000

Hi Dan

I read the article in the mail about you, then went on the message board at the face book charity page and someone forwarded me the link to your blog! Hello! Well i understand you probably won’t be able to reply to me but i just wanted to write to you and send you lots of love and smiles and hope your days are not too depressing. After i read your story i thought how brave you are and how it could have quite easily happened to me and so i thought i just wanted to pop by and say hello!
I am 33, i spent a year in Australia when i was 19 absolutely loved it, gorgeous weather had a complete hoot, i took the Oz Experience bus all the way up the east coast, if it wasn’t for the huge spiders i would probably go back!!! i actually met an American guy whilst i was traveling there fell in love had heart broken when he left LOL, well 12 years later our paths crossed again and we ended up getting married!!! so that leads me to where i am today, in moscow Idaho!! a complete hill billy town ( very different from my last residence SW3)
Well i hope i didn’t make you fall asleep whilst reading that!!!!! but i guess i just want to be any support to you i can be, even if its making you smile! My jokes are terrible so i will save you on that front!
I hope this year brings more hopes for you, and if you ever get a chance to go on face book please visit my page.
With love
Rosine

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Willy and Zdenka Bauer

Willy and Zdenka Bauer — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:46:23 +0000

Hi Dan,
So Christmas is almost over and we hope that you had a good time with your family and friends. And what did Dylan think of the Xmas tree? Like everyone we have been a little too indulgent over the past two day and so today it is only soup and football! It is an exciting time with things being so tight at the top of the premier division. Liverpool, my team, is still leading, however, I believe your team has some catching up to do. Did you watch the finals of ‘Strictly come dancing’ despite of Gary having been knocked out? And how about the John Sargent saga? All very exciting stuff indeed.
We wish you a very happy 2009 and hope to meet you soon.
With warmest regards
Zdenka and Willy Bauer

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Susan Murray

Susan Murray — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:53:51 +0000

Dear Dan
Its great that you felt able to write another blog but I am sorry to hear that you are still on bed rest. Aren’t little babies lovely? You can’t stop lookling at them can you? He will bring you many hours of fun.
I’m sure your Dad keeps you up-to-date with the Foundation and as you know the charity goes from strength to strength. We have some great Patrons now and of course all eyes are on Austin Healey as he trips the light fantastic every Saturday night. We must all keep voting for him, spread the word and try to make sure he gets into the final. I expect that Strictly Come Dancing clashes with either football or rugby on TV and you probably prefer to watch that. Unfortunately my family are ManU fans! So disappointing that isn’t it!!
Do you watch cricket? Your Dad will tell you that I LOVE cricket! The Ashes next year will be very exciting following Australia’s recent losses in India. They will be looking for a big win and The Ashes is a really big deal – no-one fights better or stronger than the Australians.
Dan I hope it won’t be much longer before you are able to leave your bed. We think of you often and know that you are a hero to your family – well, you are someting of a hero to us too!! With Love – Susan

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Sue Wickett

Sue Wickett — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:55:58 +0000

Hi Dan,
Like others, I read the Liz Jones article about you in Sunday’s Mail. I can’t tell you how it made me feel. I’m a well-over 21 grandmother … so at my age, I should be able to summon up some words to describe how the words written about you and your life touched my heart. You are an inspiration to others … and obviously not least your extremely supportive family. I wish you well and … many congratulations on the new arrival! x

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Clive Locke

Clive Locke — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:02:33 +0000

I’ve read the mail on Sunday the likeness to my injuries brought home the recurring moments then and now regarding struggles, trials, and conquering of mindsets which people in our position have to deal with. I was injured C5/6 tetra 1983 at 25yrs old in the small article was a small glimpse of frustrations which exist.
It saddens me of course that mine, yours and others injuries are feared but then the con of so much independent choices are cut away from you by jobs worth mindsets. I liked what you quote in the article ” family from hell” rang so true, as i was told I was so demanding by my employed care agent, as she sat reading my paper in my wheelchair, in my house, exit stage left i thought!
I am in Croydon with many intertwined experiences it would be a shame not to converse with each other, I travel to and from Bromley at last count last week was 5 times. I am open to exchanging my experiences as I too have learnt the hard way, which is a positive way in the end, so i invite you to drop me a line.
I liked the research promotion as positive people are a welcome relief. I am a follower, fundraiser and keen supporter of the I.S.R.T i was wondering how you see their work in the same context?
I have had a little moan, perhaps got on my soap box a little, but i hope conveying a little humour does help, positive thoughts do seem distant im sure, i have been there I can assure you.
Biting the bullet, staying positive are easy to say as the first thing you need is to get on too getting out of that bed, check out Manuka Honey treatments, or talk to out patients at the national spinal unit @ Stoke Manderville.

Best Wishes Clive

Comment on Hi, my name is Dan Nicholls. by Jackie Suarez

Jackie Suarez — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:24:54 +0000

Hi Dan. I read about you in the Mail. I normally get really wound up by Liz Jones as I don’t agree much with her point of view. This artical caught my eye though. I was really sad to hear your friends had deserted you. I was thinking how alike my sons you are. They both love sports and both want to be life guards on Bondi Beach one day (they have been watching too much Surf Patrol on the Reality channel.) I was thinking they might like to chat to you. Do you think you could chat to them by email sometime or is this a stupid idea?

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Chris Coetzee

Chris Coetzee — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:10:56 +0000

Hi A,

Read the MoS piece and just knew I had to get in touch! I am a fellow Quad/Tetra (C4/5) since a diving incident in 1976. You are so right with the proposed response ‘… it gets better.’

Dan, can you please use my email and get in contact with me? There is so much we must discuss!

Till later.

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Sally Wheeler

Sally Wheeler — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:50:13 +0000

Hi Dan
I should be writing school reports now but I just felt I had to write having read the Mail article yesterday. You sound an incredibly brave young man. I have a son of 20 who’s at university and who I worry a lot about because he not only plays rugby but he also does very dangerous skiing tricks off piste without a helmet on (because it’s not cool) and all you did was dive into a wave. Life certainly isn’t fair and you have such courage and an amazing family.
You are in my thoughts and I will support your foundation.

Comment on Hi, Dan again by Margaret Holman

Margaret Holman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:26:52 +0000

Morning Dan,
Like the others just read about you and felt the need to put a finger to the keyboard, just useless at typing, this could take a while. Not keen on football or golf and don’t have a dog but got a couple of really vicious budgies.We call them Louis I think we’re on to Louis the 5th and sixth at the moment (why Louis you ask? or maybe you don’t) Gonna tell you anyway. We never know what sex they are and Louis can be a girl or boy (I had an auntie Louie) and I think it goes right up to about Louis the 14th (history not a strong point) so we’ve still got a few to go if these two go the way of the others. Right, fingers hurting now. Got to tell you this if there’s time. Blonde gets a job as a teacher, she’s out on the playing field with the kidsand they’re all running around apart from one little boy whose stood on his own. She goes up to him and say “Are you OK” He says “Yeah! I’m fine” She says “you can go off and run around with the others if you want” Boy says “I don’t think that would be a good idea Miss”She says “Why not”? “Cos I’m the goalie”! Ha! Ha! Ha! I thought it was funny. I am not that blonde!!!! That’s all I knowabout football! Good luck with everything.